Delivery of materials to space is an expensive and time consuming undertaking and materials are rarely reused. Currently, launch costs per kilogram to low Earth orbit (LEO) are well over $1,000 per kilogram. As of 2013, estimated cost per kilogram of the Atlas V® vehicle (available from United Launch Alliance, LLC of Centennial, Co.) is $13,000. The Falcon 9 v. 1.1 vehicle (available from Space Exploration Technologies, Inc. of Hawthorne, Calif.) delivers payloads to LEO for $4,000 per kilogram. At such prices, even the simplest items, such as a wrench, screw driver, or a clip, have total costs measured in the hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Additional barriers currently exist for rapid delivery of goods and materials to manned and unmanned spacecraft because launches are also infrequent, booked many years in advance and often significantly delayed. Even frequent destinations such as the International Space Station receive supplies infrequently. For example, six unmanned spacecraft delivered materials and fuel (also known as “up mass”) to the ISS in 2011. In 2012, resupply missions were carried out nine times. Space is limited on such resupply missions, delaying delivery of replacement parts. When replacement parts are sent to the ISS, they require up mass that could be used to send additional supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the ISS.
Exemplary resupply missions to the ISS utilize unmanned spacecraft, such as the Dragon capsule (available from Space Exploration Technologies, Inc. of Hawthorne, Calif.), the Russian Progress freighter spacecraft, or the Cygnus vehicle (available from Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va.). The resupply spacecraft is launched into orbit carrying supplies including new equipment, replacement parts, fuel, oxidizer, food, water and scientific experiments. The spacecraft docks with the ISS and is unloaded. The spacecraft is then reloaded. If the spacecraft is capable of being returning to Earth and being recovered (e.g., the Dragon capsule), it is loaded with science experiments, old station hardware, equipment, and trash. The spacecraft is then launched, returning to Earth for recovery. If the spacecraft is not capable of being recovered, the spacecraft is typically loaded with trash and launched, where it burns up on reentry.
Trash management is problematic in isolated locations such as aboard a spacecraft, on naval vessels, and at remote outposts. In the ISS, all trash is stored on board in the habitable volume until it is disposed of as described above. Astronauts compress the trash by hand into stowage bags, but this can only reduce the volume by an estimated 50%. The present “store and return” method has limitations. For example, it will not meet the requirements for future human space exploration missions. Missions to deep space destinations such as the Moon, asteroids, Lagrange Points, and Mars will require different disposal methods. Ejecting trash into space, as practiced with liquid waste during the Apollo missions, is not practical or efficient for solid trash such as packing materials, broken equipment, and the like. With the possibility of resupply years between or nonexistent, astronauts must bring everything with them, meaning every piece of cargo is a precious resource. Furthermore, missions will need to safely manage waste and avoid polluting and contaminating other solar system bodies by, for example, abiding by NASA's Planetary Protection Policy (NASA NPD 8020.7. “Biological Contamination Control for Outbound and Inbound Planetary Spacecraft”).
Currently, recycling or repurposing materials in space presents several problems. Among traditional recycling processes do not function in the microgravity environment of space. Similarly, current recycling processes are not adapted for use in high acceleration and vibration environments such as those found aboard a naval vessel or submarine.
On Earth, naval vessels that are required to be at sea for extended amounts of time face similar logistical problems such as dealing with long periods of time between resupply events, a lack of recycling opportunities and inefficient waste management during voyages. Research stations located in remote locations such as Antarctica require similar logistical challenges.
Given the foregoing, apparatus, systems and methods are needed which facilitate recycling of trash aboard spacecraft, space habitats, and the like. Additionally, apparatus, systems and methods are needed which facilitate reducing mass and volume devoted to trash storage and transportation.
Additionally, what is needed are apparatus, systems and methods which reduce trash volume and mass and facilitate recycling of trash during long duration explorations, at remote outposts, and aboard naval vessels.
Additionally, what is needed are apparatus, systems and methods which facilitate processing in-situ resources into a usable form.